In the Never-Never Land of “moderate Islam”, the West is reassured that Islam and democracy are fully compatible. After all, many Muslim countries have elections and parliaments, we are told – ipso facto, Islam and democracy must be able to coexist. Some Muslim scholars even go so far as to say that democracy is an inherent Islamic concept, utilizing terms such as shura (a council formed to provide consultation for the head of government) and ijma’ (defined generally as “consensus”, but more precisely meaning the consensus of Muslim legal scholars on a question of Shari’a law). But as usual, reality paints quite a different picture.The Democracy Index is a scale developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit beginning in 2006 and updated regularly. The latest 2018 index rates the 167 major countries of the world based on sixty different indicators, ranking them on a scale from 1-10 (10 being a perfect democracy). Based on their scores, countries are grouped in one of four descending categories: full democracies; flawed democracies; hybrid regimes; authoritarian regimes.
Not surprisingly, of the 57 Muslim majority countries worldwide, 16 of them rank in the bottom 25 countries of the world, and 49 of them do not break into the top 100 rankings. Another way of saying this is that only 8 Muslim countries make it into the top 100, with Malaysia securing the highest spot for a Muslim nation – number 52. By the way, Israel is ranked in 30th place, and the USA in 25th (indicating, perhaps, a higher degree of objectivity than non-Westerners might otherwise accord this index).
The Index also divides the world into seven regions, and ranks the regions according to the averaged scores of all the nations within them. Not surprisingly, North America ranks first and Western Europe second as “full democracies;” at the bottom of the list, again not surprisingly, is the region of the Middle East and North Africa, categorized as “authoritarian regimes.”
But even aside from such a complex measuring scale, a common-sense definition of democracy and a basic understanding of Islam compel the conclusion that Islam and democracy will always be at loggerheads with each other.
Fundamentally, democracy is a system of government whereby the governed freely elect their leaders and determine the laws of their nation through majority vote. Islam, on the other hand, decrees that the law of the land for any Muslim-ruled country must be Shari’a, the divine, perfect Law of Allah, which of course is immutable. Were human beings to legislate some change to Shari’a, their actions would, in the eyes of orthodox Islam, enshrine some fallible, human morality in place of Allah’s will, thereby committing blasphemy by overruling Allah’s authority in favor of their own. The closest Islam could come to democracy would be to allow free election of leaders who commit to enforce Shari’a over the land.
But even this is not quite possible in Islam, for Shari’a law mandates that non-Muslims may never hold positions of authority (political or otherwise) over Muslims (see, for example, Reliance of the Traveler [the classic manual of Shari’a according to the Shafi’i school of jurisprudence], section o25.3(a). This law stems from two Qur’anic verses: 4:141 concludes with the declaration that “Allah will not grant the unbelievers any way over the believers;” likewise in 63:8 we find the statement that “…to Allah belongs the might and to His Messenger and to the believers,” the clear implication being that Islam’s god forbids non-Muslims from exercising authority or power over Muslims.
Hence, according to Shari’a, even if a Muslim government calls for political elections, only Muslims may be elected. Should a Christian, Druze, Yazidi, Jew, Hindu, atheist run for office, that may be permissible by the government, but no Shari’a-compliant Muslim would be able to vote for him or her. Elections may indeed be held, but they are not free when carried out under the umbrella of Shari’a.
The inanity of this policy is fully illustrated by a debate held last week (June 12th) between Ahmad Zayed, a professor of Shari’a at Qatar University, and Raed al-Samhouri, a Saudi Islamic scholar also based in Qatar. Al-Samhouri posed this question of Zayed, “Does Islamic law allow for a Christian to rule over Muslims?”
Zayed responded, “I said that according to the general law of equality, anyone can run for office. This is not a problem.” Under more intense questioning, he added, “”Hold on, my dear brother. Anyone can run for office, but when a Muslim votes, in accordance with the principle of Shari’a, he knows who he should vote for.” He went on to say that a ruler cannot be a non-Muslim.
The moderator, seeking clarity, offers this summary of Zayed’s position: “So non-Muslims can run for office, but Muslims are not allowed to vote for them.” Zayed agrees, “Yes, that’s it.”
But al-Samhouri is not yet satisfied. Here’s how the debate ends:
Al-Samhouri: “But is it allowed, according to the Shari’a, for a Muslim to vote for a Christian?”
Zayed: “No.”
Al-Samhouri: “I rest my case.”
Read the rest here.
mortimer says
Islam’s IDEOLOGICAL war against democracy is pushed by Islamic GOVERNMENTS and ORGANIZATIONS with billions of dollars of resources. What are we Westerners contributing to the IDEOLOGICAL WAR against jihad? Answer: our Western governments are doing virtually NOTHING to counter Islamic ideology and propaganda.
Our Western governments should be funding COUNTERJIHAD writers to fight Islam IDEOLOGICALLY. That is the cheapest way to reduce and stop jihad. Attack the ideology, not people.
Angemon says
God bless MEMRI.
gravenimage says
Hear, hear! MEMRI is very important to the Counter Jihad–knowing just what it is that Muslims say.
mortimer says
University teacher Ahmad Zayed makes the absurd claim that candidates of any faith may run for election in an Islamic country, but that they may not be elected! Ha.
How is he prepared to stop them? By assassinating or threatening them into leaving the country? Vigilantism? Then he mentions ‘the law of equality’ ! Ha ! What’s that law? Did he just make that one up?
Ahmad Zayed shows that Islam has no answers and is fundamentally totalitarian. Muslim teachers like him make up the rules as they go along … opportunistically.
CRUSADER says
But, really now, how well has democracy served Sweden and New Zealand
given recent conditions and decisions there?
Democracy Index 2018:
Top 5
Rank Movement Country Score
1 Norway 9.87
2 Iceland 9.58
3 Sweden 9.39
4 New Zealand 9.26
5 Denmark 9.22
Guy Forester says
Now we know why democracy, a pure democracy does not work. Once a majority of the electorate votes for something, everyone else has to pay for it, even if it is absurd, cruel, or ultimately leads to tyranny, That is why the US is a republic with a constitution that, at least originally, limits government power and distributes it, and balances the power of numbers (high density areas) with geography (low density areas). That is why the likes of Hillary, Pelosi, Schumer, and AOC would like to undo our electoral college. California and New York will dictate to the rest of the US how things will be done and who will pay for it.
The once wonderful countries of Sweden and New Zealand are now subservient to self loathing leftists and a vocal, often violent minority after electing people that live in a bubble world and are protected from the follies they foist on the taxpayers and workers.
I can tell you that anyone that can find a way to leave New Zealand to earn a living does. Been there, heard the stories.
Naildriver. says
Muslims love their Islam, and in Muslim majority countries Islam can win in elections, as was seen in Egypt ,Turkey and Iran,etc. Indonesia is the latest example of Democracy aiding the Islamist sharia devotees.
That is why our best friends among these majority Muslim countries are run by the worst tyrants and dictators. because they are needed to keep the will of the ‘people’ in check. The muslim mind is a terrible thing , an ignorant organ plyed with the worst aspects of a man’s character. Muslims have a smug indolence and insatiable sense of entitlement against non-Muslims.
Islam is a tyranny and don’t misunderstand. Mateen is correct as the the phenomena of late is revealing the poison Islam effects upon minds particularly ignorant minds.
These facts too, should wake up Western politicians to the evil of this new emergent system, Islam.
Islam recently is very much a desired entity by the Democrats as Muslims demographically are seen to favor mostly Democrats, but already Islamic devotees can be very useful to Republican politician in some areas a Lodi CA and parts of Texas.
At its heart Islam enables thugs and bullies, while it suppresses the influence of gays, women, and all those who, in irony, are enabling Islam.
Islam should be looked upon as a cancer upon the political process in the West.
Richard Bramwell says
All quite meaningless when “democracy” is not clearly defined. As “the tyranny of the majority, democracy is “two wolves & a lamb voting on what to eat for lunch” (Friedman). The Athenian nation-state first revealed that truism & dozens of nations have repeated that failed experiment! The USA selects its President via the Electoral College which diffuses electoral clout such that sparsely populated areas are not overwhelmed by those more dense. No wonder the USA scores more poorly.
Does “democracy” mean “securing the full individual rights of citizens to Life, Liberty (with ALL that implies), & the Pursuit of Happiness? Just because Scandinavians are content with property (wealth) confiscation & redistribution does not mean they are a political ideal! So a democracy scale is suspect as an indicator of a political ideal, as is also the case within Islamic nations!
gravenimage says
Good points.
Muslim troll “Brian hoff” (“DefenderofIslam”) says that as soon as there are enough Muslims in the US they will vote out the Constitution and vote in Shari’ah law.
CogitoErgoSum says
I think both of these men are purposely ignoring the idea that Muslims should follow the rules of the land in which they live until their numbers grow strong enough to impose Sharia. It would be to the benefit of Muslims to vote for a Christian (or any Infidel) who will help them achieve their goal. Muslims would vote overwhelmingly for a leader like Angela Merkel, who supports mass Muslim immigration into her country while a leader like Donald Trump, who makes it more difficult for Muslims to spread their numbers across the land, would be shunned and reviled by them. The main concern of the Muslims would be to pick the person who would be most useful to the cause of spreading Islam and then, once Islam has gained a voting majority, to make certain that no Infidel ever again gains authority over them.
eduardo odraude says
Nice piece of writing, such as we have come to expect from Mateen Elass.
gravenimage says
+1
Battle says
God bless Mateen Elass.
E T says
There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him he is right. Justine Trudeau said “Islam is not incompatible with Western, secular democracy and The Status of Women Minister, Maryam Monsef said: ” The Nikah ceremony is a great symbol of that whole matrimonial practice/process, Shari’ah law fascinates me”. They both NEED to be voted out of office, actually all the Liberals need to be removed from office, while Canada is still a free, Christian country.
carolyne says
Speaking of Trudeau, yesterday’s news showed that tiny little Trudeau meeting with the President. He looks for all the world so feminine and dainty, he must be a woman. He coughed, I believe purposely to annoy the President, because Mr. Trump
complained last week about a member of the press coughing to interrupt a point President Trump was making. I’m sure Muslim men in Canada just love him to death.
E T says
i listened to an interview with Nigel Mohamed Sakr, a Muslim Brotherhood hood, living in California, he wants Trump dead. He said he likes 4 people in the Democratic Party he would like to see get the nomination, he likes Harris. Why is he allowed?
gravenimage says
Yes:
“Where is Nidal Sakr and Why Isn’t He in Jail?”
US Muslim Brotherhood operative who threatened President Trump’s life needs to be brought to justice.
https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/269144/where-nidal-sakr-and-why-isnt-he-jail-joe-kaufman